Professional Development in Techcomm: Is Distance Learning Worth It?

Everyone I’ve ever talked to about distance learning (whether they’ve participated in this form of learning or not) has a strong opinion. My personal experience with distance learning is the same experience I have had with everything in my life: I got out of it, what I put in to it. I can say the same thing about the four years I spent getting my undergraduate degree at a traditional university, the 23-years I’ve spent with my spouse, and the time I spend volunteering. I’m an instructional designer, so I’m aware that a poorly designed course, an unfit facilitator, poor quality course materials, inappropriate technology, and disruptive or uncooperative participants can have a devastating effect on a course, but that applies to traditional courses as much as it applies to distance courses.